Dominion Dynamics is an Ottawa-based defence technology startup developing autonomous combat aircraft and an Autonomous Collaborative Platform to operate alongside manned fighters.
Director of Software Engineering Location: Ottawa, ON (On-site) Reports to: CTO THE ROLE This is a critical technical leadership role responsible for building and scaling Dominion Dynamics’ software engineering capabilities alongside the CTO and broader leadership team. Reporting directly to the CTO, you lead the software engineering function — responsible for the systems powering deployed CAF capability. You take the team from its current early-stage composition to ~50 engineers over the next year while staying hands-on in the codebase. This is a role for someone who holds both the architecture and the sprint, the hiring and the debugging. The environment is fast, the constraints are real, and the work ships to the field. WHAT YOU’LL DO - Accountable for the execution and evolution of Dominion Dynamics’ software systems across autonomy, platform systems, edge computing, communications, and mission-critical infrastructure - Direct the culture, team, processes, cadences, and best practices of a rapidly growing software engineering team as it scales from ~5 to ~50 over the next year. - Stay hands-on in the codebase, contributing directly to architecture, implementation, debugging, and critical technical decisions - Drive the development of scalable, resilient, and secure software systems designed for harsh, disconnected, and operationally constrained environments - Work closely with the Director of Hardware to align software with hardware requirements and deployment timelines. - Establish strong engineering practices across system design, testing, CI/CD, observability, and deployment without slowing iteration velocity - Guide technical direction across distributed systems, embedded software, robotics infrastructure, real-time systems, simulation, and edge compute environments - Support testing and deployment cycles - Interview, develop, and retain exceptional engineering talent while creating a culture of ownership, speed, and high standards - Act as a senior technical leader within the company, contributing to roadmap planning, platform strategy, and long-term system evolution WHAT YOU BRING - 10+ years of experience building and managing software engineering teams. - Demonstrated track record shipping complex software systems in defence, aerospace, robotics, autonomy, distributed systems, or comparable environments. - Strong software architecture and systems-thinking across backend, edge, embedded, or real-time systems. - Experience building and scaling engineering organizations while staying technically hands-on. - Production-level programming experience in modern software stacks; comfortable working close to hardware when needed. - Experience taking products from concept through deployment in fast-moving, resource-constrained environments. - Eligible for (or able to obtain) Government of Canada security clearance. - Based in Ottawa or willing to relocate; full-time on-site with occasional travel (<25%). NICE TO HAVE - Experience with distributed systems, autonomy infrastructure, robotics platforms, simulation environments, or mission-critical systems. No defence background required. We've hired people who didn't tick every box. If this is the work you want to do, please apply anyway. WHY JOIN US Building something meaningful starts with the right people. At Dominion Dynamics, you’ll: - Shape Canada’s future by building real defence capability for the CAF and our allies. - Make decisions that ship in a high-trust environment with short feedback loops and rapid iteration. - Move fast, field faster, and work directly with the operator — our systems are in the field with the CAF now. - Have an impact from day one with equity, responsibility, and direct access to leadership. If you’re curious, hands-on, and driven by the opportunity to make a difference, this is where you belong! COMPENSATION & BENEFITS - Competitive base salary and company equity - Comprehensive health benefits - Additional equity granted based on impact We use AI tools to support parts of the hiring process, including screening and reviewing responses. Final hiring decisions are always made by people and follow all applicable privacy and employment laws in Canada.